What it Teaches

Using a simple example of a cyberbully in action, this video follows a bully’s tools, motivations and tactics. It also covers what can be done by adults and fellow students to stop the bully and prevent further problems. It teaches:

Posted:

By:

Topic:

Categories:

Piracy, in any form, seems like a simple idea. It’s illegal and a form of stealing. But online, it may feel different because it’s so easy to make copies of a song or movie and share them. It’s easy to find pirated software on the cheap. The risks seem low.

Our challenge with this video: How can we explain piracy in a way that goes deeper than simple right vs. wrong arguments? How can we appeal to reason?

Our solution: Focus on understanding why it makes sense that piracy is illegal. Below, we explain the system that makes it possible for creative people to be paid for their work and how piracy breaks that system and directly impacts the creative people who make the music and art we love.

We also worked to make the visuals, especially in the beginning, fun and interesting. I loved animating those pirates!

What it Teaches

Piracy, on the open ocean or online, is illegal because it is a kind of theft. By understanding different types of online piracy and why it’s illegal, we can start to see how piracy impacts the artists we love and represents a risk to us as individuals. It teaches:

Posted:

By:

Topic:

Categories:

One of our most popular video categories is Internet Safety and our new video covers an essential part of staying safe online (and off): identity theft. It's perfect for educating students and trainees.

Learn why our identities are at risk and what we can do to protect them (in about three minutes).

What it Teaches

We all use names, account numbers and passwords to verify our identities to organizations. Unfortunately, these can be stolen by criminals and cause us financial ruin. The key to avoiding this problem is awareness and understanding ways to keep our identities safe. This video teaches:

Why our identity is so important in everyday life

What criminals do when they steal a person’s identity

Why sensitive documents are a risk and how to keep them safe

How criminals use phone calls, emails and fake websites to fool people

Posted:

By:

Topic:

Categories:

Blockchain: New and Potentially Huge

Every once in a while, we come upon a subject that is both extremely complicated and potentially transformational. We treat these subjects with care and work hard to capture the big, fundamental ideas that create a foundation for learning more in the future.

Today, that subject is Blockchain, which is the backbone of the digital currency Bitcoin and a concept that could be used more widely in the future.

The video below uses an analogy to show why blockchain may represent a better way for a small village to manage ownership of village property.

What it Teaches

This video provides a big picture look at why blockchain matters. Using the story of a village, it explains how villagers, who had a centralized authority for ownership, discover a new, decentralized way to manage ownership of village property. It teaches:

How central authorities (banks, government) currently account for changes in ownership

Why a fundamentally new accounting system is now possible using the internet

How blockchain works to create a decentralized system that users manage

What if completing your goals felt more like a game, with points, competition and awards? That’s the goal of gamification - to motivate and engage people by making the completion of tasks feel like a game that you want to win.

What it Teaches

Gamification is becoming a bigger part of our lives and for good reason: it works. This video explains the concept of gamification and how game mechanics are used to motivate people to accomplish personal and professional tasks and goals. It teaches:

Posted:

By:

Topic:

Categories:

IP Addresses Explained by Common Craft

At the very heart of the web are a set of rules or “protocols” that let us send and receive information. By understanding Internet Protocol Addresses or IP Addresses, we can see how information is delivered on the web.

What it Teaches

Without IP addresses the internet could not function. They are essential. Unfortunately, because IP addresses are often hidden from view, we rarely hear or learn about them. This video reveals the powerful role they play on the web through a useful analogy involving traditional mail. It teaches:

Why rules or “protocols” are important in the basic functions of the web

Why traditional mailing addresses are an example of a protocol

How IP addresses are used to request and receive information on the web